


Don't Leave Me Here Without You

by WardenRoot



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Eventual Smut, F/F, Various Legends Appear, post 4x09
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-12
Updated: 2019-04-17
Packaged: 2020-01-12 06:18:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,782
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18440762
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WardenRoot/pseuds/WardenRoot
Summary: When the Legends get a message that says that Ava is being sent back to 2213, Sara goes to try and stop it from happening





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LanceALotz](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LanceALotz/gifts).



> I've tried to keep it as close to the prompt as possible, but there are probably some deviations as nothing ever comes out quite like imagined 😅 I really hope you enjoy this first chapter, and the other two once they are posted!❤
> 
> Thank you to @Notabeautifullittlefool for the beta ❤
> 
> Title from Imperfection by Evanescence

“They’re taking Ava back to 2213.”

Sara stares at the message, received from Nate only seconds ago.

This can’t be happening.

Ava is fine.

The missed phone calls are just Ava ignoring her because of their fight.

Ava is  _ not _ being sent anywhere.

Sara moves away from the center console, where all the Legends are currently standing, watching Nate’s message. She’s not quite sure how she gets a courier, or a staff almost as long as her bo, but she doesn’t have time to dwell on it as she walks through a portal that leads her straight into the bureau.

The halls of the bureau are eerily empty, as if no one has come into work. Sara swallows as she walks the familiar route to Ava’s office, all the while repeating the words ‘Ava is fine,’ in her mind. Because Ava  _ has _ to be fine. She has to be.

She only runs into an agent when she is a couple of halls away from Ava’s office. He appears shocked at seeing her, but Sara doesn’t give him the chance to process it before knocking him out with a well placed blow from her makeshift bo. She doesn’t even look at him as she continues on her path, running into a few wayward agents — only, they’re not time bureau agents, Sara notes, with no emblem on their blazers — but she easily overpowers them.

Two agents are stationed outside of Ava’s office, guarding the door. Both of them reach for their guns when they spot her, one of them speaking into their comm. It doesn’t take long to put them out of commission, dodging a couple of bullets before she sweeps them off their feet.

She takes a deep breath as she looks at the office door, tightening the hold on her bo. Before she gets the chance to move towards it, the door opens. The first thing she sees is guns, none of them pointed directly at her at first, the agents sweeping the hall. In between their heads, she spots the top of a head covered in blonde hair.

Sara growls as she swings her weapon at the agents, making a few of their guns fly out of their hands. Agents start filling the hall around her, and Sara continues swinging while expertly dodging their bullets.

“Sara?” Sara’s eyes immediately search for the owner of the voice. She finds Ava standing in between two agents, each with a grip on one of her arms.

The look on Ava’s face is torn between disbelief and defeat. Sara’s heart breaks when she sees it, and it only reinvigorates the fight in her.

It takes a moment, but suddenly Ava’s body moves into action, tearing herself out of the agents’ grip and joining Sara by her side.

It feels so familiar, fighting by Ava’s side, protecting each other.

The fight seems to go well, and even though Sara hadn’t been certain of anything when she first portalled into the bureau, she is almost certain that she will be leaving it with Ava by her side.

God, is she wrong.

It turns for the worse when she sees a knife heading straight for Ava, just barely catching it before it can pierce her skin. During her distraction, someone kicks her knee, making Sara fall to the ground.

Before she gets the chance to do something about it, multiple agents grab her arms, keeping her in place as two guns are pressed to her head.

“Stop resisting and I let your little girlfriend walk out of here unharmed. Keep fighting, and you’ll have to clean the inside of her skull off the floor.”

Sara growls when her eyes land on Hank Heywood, exiting the door to Ava’s office.

“Ava,  _ don’t,”  _ Sara pleads, turning her eyes to Ava.

The defeat is back in full in Ava’s eyes as she lowers her arms. “It doesn’t matter,” she says, looking straight into Sara’s eyes. “I was never meant to stay here permanently. I’m sorry, deep down I always knew you deserved better than some experiment gone wrong. My time here, my time with you, despite everything it was all worth it. Whatever love a clone has to give, I really did give all of mine to you, Sara.”

“ _ Ava, NO,”  _ Sara screams, trying to pull her arms free with no success. She can’t do anything but watch and scream as the agents from before take hold of Ava’s arms again and disappear along with Hank.

One of the agents crouch in front of her, the unmistakable shape of a memory flasher in his hands.

Sara won’t let them take away her memories.

She won’t let them keep her from Ava.

With one final push for strength, she cries loudly as she pulls her arms to herself, ripping them out of the agents’ hands.

Sara doesn’t know what happens over the next few seconds. One moment she’s on her knees, the agents all surrounding her, and the next, she’s standing at the end of the hallway, all of the agents in various stages of bleeding on the floor.

She doesn’t linger by them, instead taking off in a running direction towards where Ava had disappeared.

She needs to find her.

Ava  _ can’t _ be sent back to 2213.

She runs through the entire bureau, searching every room she comes by, but she finds them all empty, no trace of Ava or Hank. Sara punches the nearest wall, letting out one last cry before she falls to her knees.

She  _ can’t _ lose her.

 

Sara steps onto the Waverider feeling like she has betrayed the woman she loves.

She should have been able to save her. What good are all her skills if she can’t even save her love.

She has lost so many people, she  _ can’t _ lose Ava too. She can’t.

She looks up to find her team on the bridge, now fully suited up, looking just about ready to storm something. Had she really only been gone long enough for them to ready up? Surely it must have been longer, from the moment she laid eyes on Ava until the moment Ava disappeared from her sight, possibly for the last time.

_ No. _ It can’t have been for the last time.

The Legends’ eyes are hopeful when Sara first appears, but they all turn to defeat as they take her in, broken and alone.

“Ava?” Ray pipes up, taking a step towards his captain, his friend, the metal of his suit making a heavy sound as it’s moved.

“They took her,” Sara says, nostrils flaring as her hands form into fists. “ _ He _ took her.”

“Then let’s go get her back!” Charlie says, joining Ray in taking a hesitant step forwards.

“No.” Sara’s statement is met with shocked and confused faces.

“What? We can’t just leave her there,” Zari says, looking at Sara as if she doesn’t know her.

“I’m not leaving her there.” Sara clenches her jaw, looking between every member of her family. “But you’re staying right here. We can’t risk all of us going, they’ll find us. I need to be stealthy on this.”

“You sure, boss?” Mick asks, tapping his heat gun.

“I’m going alone on this, and that’s an order,” Sara says, looking into the eyes of her team, who clearly wants to argue with her. “Can the jumpship take me to 2213?” she asks Zari, after they all grumble out a reluctant acceptance.

“Yeah, at least in theory. We never really tested it after you made me tweak it.”

“No time like the present.”

Sara makes sure to gear up properly this time, finding her proper bo and a plethora of knives to take with her. She can’t remember the last time she did a mission like this, stealth isn’t really an option around the Legends. But Ava needs her to pull this off, and that’s all Sara needs to motivate her.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sara goes to 2213 to try to rescue Ava

Jumping to 2213 takes forever, in Sara’s opinion. She doesn’t want to think about what might be done to Ava in all the time it takes her to actually get there. At least the jumpship takes her there — Sara doesn’t know why they never tested it. Well, she supposes she does know why — she didn’t think she’d ever have to return, never  _ wanted _ to return to this place. 

But now she’s here, because Hank Heywood had somehow gotten ahold of the information that Ava is a clone and had decided — possibly because of  _ Sara’s  _ actions — that it was time to send her back. 

Sara is going to kill him. 

But that’s not her current objective. Now, all that matters is getting Ava back,  _ her _ Ava. 

Walking through the city around the AVA Corporation, surrounded by clones with her girlfriend’s face on them, Sara wishes she had gotten her hands on a courier instead. Her mind wanders to Ava — what if they’ve already made her just like all the clones surrounding her?

No. She can’t be too late. She doesn’t know what she’ll do if she is. 

 

Getting into the building is easier than it should be, just like the last time she was there. You would think a future corporation would have better security, but right now, Sara is grateful they don’t.

After a bit of sneaking around, she finds some form of a computer. She hesitantly powers it on, worried that doing so will start an alarm, but she can’t hear anything. The computer turns itself on instantly, and Sara doesn’t even have to type in a password to use it. She supposes it would take someone highly arrogant to make clones in the first place, and now they’re too arrogant in their creations protecting their work.

Because that’s the other thing that Sara has noticed, sneaking around the large building — there is no personnel other than the clones. Why pay someone to work for you when you can force your own creations to do it instead?

Somehow, she manages to find an overview of the building. She quickly scans it, looking for a place it would make sense for Ava to be. She tries not to think too hard on the fact that any one of the clones she has passed could be  _ her _ Ava. If she starts thinking about that, the only thing she’ll do is spiral, wasting precious time that could be spent trying to find her.

She feels sick when her eyes land on the words “Defect AVAs” on the map she’s viewing. It’s the only place she can think that they would keep Ava. She tries her best to memorize the path she will have to take.

Powering down the computer, she continues on her path through the building. As she makes it to the doors to the defects area without incident, she has never been more grateful for her assassin training.

The door opens just as easily as everything else in the building. Sara takes a deep breath before taking a step into the room, suddenly more nervous than she has been since she entered the building.

The lights turn on as she enters, illuminating the big, white room, one light after another. Sara can’t even begin counting the rows of light, they seem to stretch on for forever. Apparently a lot of clones end up defective. Sara wonders if any of them, other than  _ her _ Ava, end up here due to developing human feelings. The thought makes her sick, but she isn’t here to interfere with the future.

She looks over the room and is unable to keep a gasp from leaving her lips at what she sees. Stretching for as long as the lights are rows of surgical looking tables with AVAs strapped to them with metal straps, most of them staring emptily into the air. Sara takes a few more steps forward, looking around herself.

_ How is she going to find her Ava in between all these clones? _

She steps over to one of the tables, reaching for the body there but hesitating before she can touch it. It  _ looks _ like Ava, apart from being dressed in simple, blue clothes, just like everyone else. But it doesn’t  _ feel _ like Ava, it doesn’t have her softness or warmth. It just seems empty. Sara doesn’t even understand why its limbs are all strapped down when it’s so lifeless.

She withdraws her hand before she can touch it, instead continuing down the path in between the tables. Despite her worries that she wouldn’t be able to recognize Ava, a small part of her had been certain she would know the moment she laid eyes on her. And yet, looking between the empty shells, she feels nothing but a sick feeling deep in her stomach.

The longer she keeps walking, the more dread settles in her stomach, until she’s almost certain Ava isn’t there. Maybe she should have brought the rest of the team — Ray or Zari might have been able to figure something out using the numerous computers throughout the building. Sara couldn’t even figure out if she’s still alive, could only find a room she hoped they had sent Ava to.

She should leave this room. It’s becoming more and more obvious she won’t find Ava here. Maybe, just maybe, it’s not too late to get the help of her more tech proficient teammates. Or, maybe her leaving them behind has given the other clones enough time to make her _not_ _Ava_. Sara feels a single tear run down her cheek as she stops walking, getting ready to turn around.

A movement in her peripheral vision stops her. It can’t be. She’s just seeing things. And yet, when she turns around, fully facing the direction it came from, she sees it again. One of the AVA’s hands is twitching, trying to fight the strap around her wrist.

Sara is pretty sure her heart stops beating as she holds her breath. She takes a single hesitant step forward, moving her sight from the twitching hand to her face. Her eyes are closed and her cheeks shine in the light.

Sara takes off in a run, closing the distance between them as quickly as she can. The closer she gets, the more certain she becomes that it’s  _ her _ . She can’t explain why, half certain her mind is playing tricks on her, but somehow she just  _ knows _ .

Sara reaches her, and immediately slots her hand into Ava’s twitching one. Ava’s eyes fly open, a familiar gaze meeting Sara’s.

“No,” she whispers, her throat sounding dry. “You can’t be here. This can’t be you.” Ava closes her eyes again, as if she’s trying to will Sara’s image away.

“Baby, it’s me,” Sara says, moving the hand not in Ava’s to Ava’s forehead, stroking her hair. “I’m here.” She rests her head against Ava’s, willing her to believe her.

“Sara?” Ava’s voice is still so small, so disbelieving.

“I’ve got you,” Sara whispers, pressing a gentle kiss to her cheek.

Ava tries to reach for her but groans when her hand’s movement is stopped by a strap.

“Easy,” Sara says, moving her hand to Ava’s, rubbing at it soothingly. “I’m gonna get you out of here.”

“No,” Ava cries, trying to hold onto Sara’s hand when she starts pulling away. “Please don’t leave me.”

“I’m not going anywhere, I promise. I just have to figure out how to remove these. Is that okay?”

Ava tries to nod, but another strap around her neck stops her from moving her head too much.

Even though she’s only a couple steps away, putting any form of distance between them breaks Sara’s heart all over again.

There’s a screen at the end of each table, and Sara quickly makes her way there, hoping it will tell her something about how to free Ava. It boots up with a single touch, and it quickly becomes clear that it is a touchscreen, which saves Sara the panic of having to look for an interface.

Now, she just has to figure out exactly what to do. None of the words on the screen make sense to her, and in this moment Sara really regrets not bringing a tech expert along with her.

“Sara?” Ava asks, her voice laced with panic.

“I’m right here, Ava,” she says, turning her head to look at her. Ava lets out a breath of relief when she speaks, and it’s clear to Sara that she had been unsuccessfully trying to spot her, stopped by the metal strap. Sara reaches one hand out for her leg, squeezing it, while hovering the other above the screen.

Despite all the things on the screen she doesn’t understand, there is one symbol she does. The on/off button. It’s a longshot, but Sara can’t count the number of times Zari’s fixed something by simply turning it off and on.

She draws in a deep breath before pushing her finger against it, looking over at Ava as the screen powers down. At first, nothing happens, and Sara’s heart falls in her chest, her frustration ever growing. But then, over the span of a second, the metal straps retract into the table, leaving a smooth surface.

“It’s okay, baby, you can move,” Sara says, moving back up to her head.

Ava’s movements are hesitant at first, slowly turning her head to properly look at Sara as she inches her wrist off of the table. Sara sees pure relief on her features when she meets no resistance. With a little help from Sara, she sits up fully, swinging her legs over the side of the metal table. Sara pushes her body in between Ava’s legs, wrapping her arms around her and resting her head on Ava’s shoulder. Ava’s arms tentatively wrap around Sara’s body, so lightly Sara barely feels them, before Ava all of a sudden adds all her strength to the embrace, pulling Sara tightly to her. Sara notices faint shaking from the body pressed against her own.

“It’s okay,” she whispers, moving one hand up and down Ava’s back. “I’m here, I got you.” She lets Ava keep her there for a little while, reassuring her that she’s there, before the sharp sound of an alarm is heard throughout the room, making Sara pull back. “Shit, we gotta go,” she says, pulling Ava down from the table.

Ava wobbles a little when her feet first hit the ground, but after a couple of seconds, she steadies herself. Sara grabs Ava’s hand and reaches for her bo with the other, quickly leading them towards the exit of the room, through the rows of empty clones that Sara had initially passed. The thought that Ava might have turned just as empty had Sara been too late makes her tighten her hold on her hand.

As soon as the door opens before them, it becomes clear that their exit won’t be as stealthy and incident free as Sara’s entrance had been. A squad of half a dozen clones meets them at the other side of the door. Sara’s grateful they wear the black security suits with a helmet on, making it easier to differ them from her Ava.

She reluctantly lets go of Ava’s hand, giving her a nod before focusing all her attention on the clones in her way. Despite how it went down last time she fought them, she expects the resistance that meets her to be as good at fighting as Ava is. These clones, however, go down much easier than Ava ever has, always matching Sara when they spar together. It all serves to make it easier to remember that the neck she’s breaking does not belong to her love, that the sounds they make could never live up to her.

When they’ve defeated the squad, Sara turns to look at Ava just in time to see her pick a baton up off the floor. She reaches her hand back for Ava’s again, needing to make certain she’s following her every step of the way.

“I’m sorry I didn’t trust you,” Ava says as they retrace Sara’s steps from before.

“Hey, no, I shouldn’t have— This isn’t your fault.” Sara looks back at her and finds Ava with her lip drawn between her teeth, looking at a spot ahead of Sara.

“I went digging and found something called Project Hades, I wasn’t able to figure out much about it before I was discovered, but I managed to send what I did find to Agent Heywood. Sara, the things they’re doing to those creatures…”

“You sent it to Nate?” Ava nods, her hand fidgeting with the baton she is holding. “He’ll do the right thing. He’s the one who told us that—” Sara stops herself, unable to get herself to say it.

Ava nods again and squeezes her hand, offering her a small smile.

They walk for a while with too little incident, only running into a few clone guards here and there. Sara curses when their luck runs out — just as they’re about to round a corner, she spots a large group of clones, filling the entire hallway they would have entered if not for Sara pulling them back into the cover of the old one.

“Shit,” she says, pulling on Ava’s hand to make her stay with her. The sound of the clones’ footsteps grow closer, and Sara searches for a different route, eyes finally landing on a door seemingly leading to a set of stairs. “Come on,” she whispers, moving towards the door.

When she turns around to close the door behind them, she sees the clones round the corner, and the one leading them turns its head to look straight at her.

“Fuck,” she hisses, closing the door in record time. She pulls some pieces of furniture in front of it, hoping it will slow the clones down at least a little, as she motions for Ava to start going up.

They make it about two flights of stairs before a few clones catch up to them, Sara doesn’t know if they’re the ones from the first floor or someone else. Fighting on the stairs is less than ideal, but they manage without too much hassle.

When they reach the top, it occurs to Sara that she really should have thought about where the stairs might lead them. She assumed they’d stop at the top floor, letting them try to find another way back down. However, as she pushes open the door at the top of it, fresh air starts surrounding them. Walking out, the night sky appears above them, and they can see the stretch of the city from their location, all the way on top of the roof of the AVA building. She can hear the footsteps of dozens of clones coming from the stairs, and she knows they won’t be able to make it out that way.

She turns to Ava and sees the same realization written all over her face.

“We’ll get through this,” she says, intertwining their fingers, not quite believing her own words.

Ava shakes her head, and the same defeat from what feels like days ago now, when they had still been at the bureau offices, is back in her eyes. “If I surrender, they might still let you go,” she whispers, tears starting to well up in her eyes.

“Ava,  _ no _ ,” Sara says, pulling on her hand as she makes them both back away from the door, closer and closer to the edge of the building. “We are  _ not _ giving up. I can’t lose you again.”

“You still have a chance at a normal life. You can find someone who doesn’t come with all this—” Ava gestures to the city around them, the meaning of her words clear— “someone worthy of your love.”

“God _ dammit _ , Ava,” Sara almost shouts, counting the seconds until the entire clone army comes rushing through the tiny door. She turns to Ava, dropping her hand in favor of burying her own in the hair at the side of Ava’s face. “I am not letting those things take you and mess with your beautiful mind. I love  _ you _ , and we are going to fight them together. Even if we don’t make it off this roof tonight, we are not going to let them catch us.”

Ava looks at her with a plethora of different emotions running across her face. In the end, she nods, and just as the first clone reaches the door, Sara yanks her down, pulling her into a kiss. The kiss seems to go on forever, and yet ends all too soon.

“Surrender!” a clone calls, as dozens more filter onto the roof behind them.

“Never,” Sara says, raising up her bo as Ava does the same with her baton.

As the never ending stream of clones continue, Sara is certain they won’t make it off that rooftop alive, but she’ll be damned if she lets any of them touch Ava’s brain.

The first clones start to charge, and Sara draws in a deep breath as she readies herself to fight.

The clones make it about half the distance to them before something explodes at their feet, making them fly back. More start to charge, and the same thing happens.

Sara must be dreaming. Or maybe there’s just something about the air in 2213. But, there is an all too familiar buzz in her ears, and, when she turns around, there is no mistaking the giant metal shape in the sky right behind them.

Sara has never been more grateful for her family.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be a small third chapter but I'm not making any promises on when that will be out as it's not finished yet😅


	3. Chapter 3

“Captain Palmer to Captain Lance, we are sending a team—”

“What Ray means is we’re thrilled to see you and I will pick you up in a second,” Zari interrupts Ray in Sara’s ear, mere seconds before a portal opens up right behind Sara and Ava on the roof.

Before any more clones have a chance to try and get to them, Sara grabs Ava’s hand again, pulling them both through the portal just as it closes.

“Welcome aboard the Waverider, please find somewhere to sit or hold on to as we get ready to fly,” Ray’s all too chipper voice says.

“Just get us out of here,” Charlie says, lightly hitting Ray’s shoulder.

“Right.” Ray clears his throat, and then 2213 disappears in front of them, replaced by the familiar green of the time stream.

“Are you okay?” Zari asks, looking hesitantly at Sara and Ava, standing leaned into each other.

“We know you said you wanted to go alone,” Ray starts, turning around in his chair, “but you didn’t say we couldn’t go to 2213  _ without _ you.”

Sara raises an eyebrow at him, realizing exactly where he’s sitting. “Ray?” she says, crossing her arms.

“Yes, Captain?”

“Get the hell outta my chair.” Ray’s eyes widen comically as he scrambles to his feet, practically running away from the chair. Sara moves closer to him, lowering her arms so she can grab Ava’s hand again, reluctant to move without Ava following. “You did good,” she says, clapping Ray on the shoulder as she offers him a smile.

Ray’s lips turn up in a grin rivaling a puppy’s. “We couldn’t just leave you and Mrs. Captain with all of them,” he says, gesturing out the window and frowning when he remembers the clones are no longer there.

“Mrs. Captain?” Ava asks, turning confused eyes on Sara.

“Don’t ask,” she responds, waving a hand in front of herself. “Now, let's go get Gideon to check you out.”

“I feel fine, let’s just go home,” Ava says, pulling on Sara’s hand to make her stop walking.

“Ava, please let Gideon make sure you’re okay. For me?” If Sara is being honest, going home to the apartment and their bed — somewhere she hasn’t been in days — sounds like the most inviting thing ever. But, she knows there is no way she will be able to relax if Gideon doesn’t give Ava the all clear.

“Fine,” Ava says reluctantly, letting Sara take her to the medbay.

 

“You’re sure she’s okay?” Sara asks Gideon when the scans show nothing wrong.

“Sara, please, I just want to go home, take a shower, relax,” Ava says, staring pleadingly into Sara’s eyes.

“I can’t find anything wrong, Captain Lance.”

Sara nods, pulling Ava to her with one hand as she opens a portal with the other. She hesitates before she can take Ava with her through it.

“Wait here while I check it out?” Sara asks, worry evident in her tone and features.

“I can take care of myself,” Ava says, soft eyes looking lovingly at Sara.

“I know you can,” Sara sighs, looking down at Ava’s hand that she’s still holding, “but I almost lost you once today, and what’s to say they didn’t do anything with your apartment? Please, just let me do this.”

“Okay,” Ava nods, leaning down for a kiss. “But the moment it’s clear, I’m coming through.”

“Deal.”

Sara takes a deep breath as she walks through the portal. It feels like an eternity since she stepped foot inside the apartment, despite being there just a few days ago. The moment the portal closes behind her and she no longer has a visual of Ava, her stomach begins to turn, worry that Ava won’t be there when she’s done making itself know.  _ Ava is fine, _ she tells herself, and the faster she clears the apartment, the faster she can see her again.

She takes a quick sweep of the apartment, checking through the entirety of it for any evidence of Hank or his men being there, but finds everything as neat and orderly as when she was last there.

Certain that Hank has decided not to touch Ava’s apartment — at least for now — Sara opens a portal back to the Waverider, and relief flows through her as she lays her eyes on Ava’s anxious ones, seeing the same relief mirrored on her face.

“It’s clear,” Sara calls, reaching through the portal for Ava’s hand. “How about that shower?”

“Please,” Ava groans, happily following Sara through the portal and to the bathroom.

 

Sara helps Ava undress first, carefully removing the blue clothes from 2213 so she can put them in a trash bag to throw away — or give to Mick to burn.

“Go,” she says, gesturing towards the shower with her head before leaning in, placing a kiss to Ava’s shoulder as she lightly traces her fingers down her sides.

Ava nods, but she looks reluctant as she steps backward towards the shower, refusing to take her eyes off of Sara. Sara smiles at her as she starts undressing. She doesn’t add any of the sensuality she usually does when undressing in front of Ava — this isn’t about seducing her, it’s about making sure she’s safe and okay and taken care of.

Sara sighs when warm water hits her naked body as she joins Ava in the shower, drawing the curtain behind her so they’re completely shut off from everything else. Ava’s hands are on her in a second, pulling her into an embrace. Sara closes her eyes, pressing a kiss to Ava’s collarbone as her hands find Ava’s hips.

“Let me clean you?” she asks, pulling back enough so that she can look up at Ava’s face.

Ava nods, bringing one hand up to Sara’s cheek as she looks into her eyes. Sara smiles when she feels her head guided to Ava’s so Ava can kiss her softly.

“Hold your hair up for me?” Sara says, half a request and half a command, as she reaches for a bottle of soap.

A noise that sounds an awful lot like a complaint escapes Ava’s lips when Sara’s body leaves hers. She sighs as she dutifully gathers her hair away from her body. Sara smiles as she looks her over. Her eyes land on Ava’s arm, muscle clearly showing with the position it is in.

Ava clears her throat and Sara’s attention is brought back to the bottle in her hands.

“You’re so beautiful,” Sara whispers, raising a hand to lightly trace along Ava’s collarbone. “How’d I get so lucky?”

Ava shakes her head, bringing the hand not holding her hair up to Sara’s neck. “I’m the lucky one.”

Sara bites her lip, looking down at her hands. She sighs, feeling content, as she finally opens the bottle, squirting some soap onto her hand. She carefully spreads it all over Ava’s body, gently kneading into her skin as she moves across it. Ava’s eyes follow her actions while she works on the front of her body, and she lets out another sound that tells Sara she isn’t quite happy when Sara moves to her back, out of her view.

“I’m right here,” Sara says, running her hands down Ava’s back.

“I know,” Ava responds, but her voice is slightly shaky. “I’m sorry.”

“Ava, it’s fine.” Sara grabs one of Ava’s hands, squeezing it as her other continues its path across Ava’s skin. “Did I tell you what happened when Charlie dared Zari to eat 30 small donuts as fast as possible the other day?”

Ava laughs at the unexpected words, and Sara can’t help but smile at the sound. “No,” she says, her voice unsure but curious.

“Well…” Sara starts, retelling the story as best as she can remember. It’s not really about telling Ava what happened, though Sara knows she likes hearing about what the Legends get up to, when it doesn’t cause her a whole lot of paperwork, at least. But, telling it in this moment is more about giving Ava something to focus on, letting her think about something that isn’t the past day — or even the past few days, ever since their fight — as well as letting her know that Sara is there, even when she can’t see her.

“You can let down your arm down now,” Sara says, once she’s rinsed away all the soap.

Ava groans as she lets go of her hair, shaking her arm to loosen it after being in the same position for too long. “Finally,” she sighs, putting her hands on Sara’s shoulders.

Sara smiles as she leans up to give her a quick kiss. “Sit down and I’ll wash your hair.”

“What? Can’t reach my hair when I’m standing?” Ava asks cheekily, a glint in her eyes.

“It’s not my fault you’re the same height as a giraffe,” Sara grumbles, narrowing her eyes as she looks up at her girlfriend.

Ava laughs, but gives into Sara’s request, sitting down on the small shower seat. “It’s not my fault you’re the size of a bird,” she shrugs when Sara reaches for the shampoo.

Sara shakes her head, taking a deep breath as she squeezes the bottle over her hand.

Massaging the shampoo into Ava’s scalp makes Sara feel calmer than she has felt in days. She can hear the sounds of Ava holding back moans at her actions, and it’s both making Sara pleased that Ava is enjoying it and making her think about what else she could do to make her moan. She shakes those thoughts away — this isn’t about  _ that _ , she just wants to help Ava forget about everything, and she knows that Ava is tired.

 

When she is done washing Ava’s hair, Ava leans her head against Sara’s stomach, making Sara’s hands instinctively fall to Ava’s neck and shoulders. Ava presses a kiss to her abs, but it is interrupted by a yawn.

“Let’s get you to bed,” Sara says with a small laugh, starting to pull back. Ava’s hands on her hips stop her as a protest leaves Ava’s lips.

“Wait, I want to clean you too. Please?” Ava looks up at Sara, hands still firmly holding her in place.

Sara nods, running one hand through Ava’s wet hair. “If you’re sure you’re not too tired.”

“I’m sure,” Ava says, tightening her grip on Sara’s hips as she pulls herself up to her feet. Leaning her head down so she can almost kiss her and running her hand up Sara’s side, she whispers, “I want to feel you,” sending a shiver down Sara’s spine. Then, Ava kisses her, pushing their bodies together as she does so. 

Sara pushes them even closer together, but when she moves to deepen the kiss, Ava pulls back. “Soap,” she gasps, taking a frantic step back, almost resulting in her slipping on the wet shower floor.

“Soap,” Sara sighs, releasing her grip on Ava’s body.

Ava’s hands on her body are surprisingly light, as if she’s scared of applying too much pressure. They are also torturously slow as Ava makes sure to cover every spot on her body with soap, thoroughly running her hands across it. Sara feels heat start to pool low in her stomach at Ava’s touch, but she does her best to ignore it and just enjoy the way Ava  _ is _ touching her.

After Ava has put shampoo in her hands, she grips Sara’s hair tightly, pulling her back until their bodies are nearly touching, only to lower her mouth to Sara’s ear. “Look at that, I can reach your hair  _ while _ you’re still standing.”

“I thought you liked me with my head down lower.”

Ava whines into her ear at her words, before her head falls to Sara’s shoulder with a groan as her fingers start lightly massaging her scalp.

Sara chuckles, before closing her eyes and just enjoying the feel of Ava washing her hair.

 

When they’re done showering, Sara hands Ava a robe, grabbing another for herself. They then quickly make their way to the bedroom. Sara sits down cross legged on the bed, pulling Ava down opposite herself. She leans in to kiss her, intending on just giving her a quick kiss before lying down, but Ava has other plans. She wraps her arms firmly around Sara, pulling her closer so she is forced to move her legs so she is sitting in Ava’s lap instead. Ava deepens the kiss, and Sara wraps her arms around Ava in return, once she gets over her initial surprise.

“I thought you were tired,” Sara moans, when Ava starts kissing her way down to her neck.

“Maybe a little,” Ava admits, resting her head on Sara’s shoulder. “But I  _ told _ you I want to feel you.”

“You didn’t specify how.” Sara lowers her hands in between their bodies as she talks, easily finding the belt to Ava’s robe. She quickly unties it, sighing as it opens up and she can spread her hands on Ava’s skin. Ava only hums out a response as she goes back to kissing Sara’s skin.

Sara slides her hands up Ava’s body, all the way up to her shoulders so she can push the robe off of her. Once it’s done, she pushes Ava down onto her back, earning her a whine as Ava’s lips are forced away from Sara’s throat. Sara laughs, shedding her own robe before following Ava’s body so she’s hovering above her. Ava’s hands are immediately on her again, lightly pulling her closer, though not using enough force to accomplish it without Sara’s acquiescence.

Sara lets her have one more kiss before she starts kissing a path down to Ava’s neck, biting down on her pulse point when she reaches it. Ava holds back a moan at the action, making Sara frown.

“Are you sure you’re not too tired?” she asks, brushing her lips against Ava’s skin.

“I’m sure,” Ava says, nodding her head along with her words.

Sara keeps her brows drawn together, but she continues kissing a path down Ava’s body, relishing in feeling Ava’s skin with her tongue after so many days apart. When her lips wrap around Ava’s nipple, Ava holds back another moan, and Sara once more pauses what she’s doing. She slowly flattens her tongue over her nipple, licking it once before pulling back. She can hear the start of more sounds that never leave Ava’s lips and she feels Ava’s hand jerk at the back of her neck, as if she wants to pull her closer, but she never does.

“Ava,” she whispers, slowly moving a hand to Ava’s other breast. Ava is holding back, and Sara doesn’t know why — Ava had been the one to initiate this. There was a time when she used to be quiet, when she used to be scared of doing something Sara didn’t want. But they moved past that, moved past Ava feeling like she can’t be loud, found a system as they learned each other’s bodies better and better for each time. Yet now, Ava has defaulted back to that state of timidness.

“I want to  _ hear _ you,” Sara says, splaying a hand on Ava’s stomach so she can slowly drag it up her torso, “and  _ feel _ you.” Ava whines, and the hand at the base of Sara’s neck grows just a little firmer. “It’s okay, we’re  _ home _ , just me and you, in our bed.”

Ava exhales shakily, and when Sara looks up there is a trail of tears leading down her cheeks.

“I’ve got you,” Sara says tenderly, her hand gently cupping Ava’s breast. Ava lets out a quiet moan as she does, and Sara takes the opportunity to wrap her mouth around her other breast, flicking her tongue over her nipple. Ava moans louder then, and her hand finally properly grabs the back of Sara’s head, pushing her even closer.

Sara swirls her tongue around her nipple a few times before moving lower, kissing her way across Ava’s abs. Ava’s hand follows her all the way, keeping Sara’s head close to her body. Sara nuzzles her nose against Ava’s pelvis before properly settling herself in between her legs, looking down at the evidence of Ava’s desire. She presses a kiss to the top of Ava’s thigh, tasting the wetness that has found its way there.

“Sara, please,” Ava groans, lightly pulling at her head, “ _ please _ , no teasing.”

Sara smiles softly as she looks up at her. Ava’s eyes are closed and her lips parted, and her chest rises every time she draws a breath.

“No teasing,” she agrees, turning her attention back to Ava’s wetness. She slowly pushes her tongue between her folds, moaning as Ava’s taste and smell completely fills her senses. As she starts lapping at her cunt at a steady pace, Sara doesn’t think she would have been able to tease her tonight even if she wanted to.

Ava’s hand tightens even more, pushing Sara’s head impossibly closer as she grinds herself against it. Sara diligently works her towards her release, drowning her ears in all the wonderful sounds escaping Ava’s lips now that she’s stopped holding back. Ava comes with Sara’s name on her lips, her hand almost completely releasing its grip on Sara’s head as she stills her hips.

Sara lightly bites the inside of her thigh before making her way back up her body, eager to kiss her again. Ava’s arms lazily wrap around her as she makes her ascent, Ava’s fingernails dragging across her back.

“That feel good, baby?” she asks when she finally reaches her head, as if Ava’s moans and the way she grinded herself against her weren’t evidence enough. She needs to hear it from Ava, needs to know that Ava’s still with her, unable to get the image of empty clones out of her mind.

Ava is anything but empty as she pulls Sara’s head down to her face. “So good,” she whispers against Sara’s lips, before pulling her into a kiss. “You always feel so good.”

“You want more?” Sara trails her hand down Ava’s torso, teasing at the bottom of her abs.

Ava nods and closes her eyes, slightly moving her hips to try to make Sara’s hand move all the way. Sara smiles, kissing her again as she lowers her hand even further, groaning as her fingers get buried in wetness. She slowly pushes into her, feeling Ava’s walls flutter around her fingers as they move deeper.

She gasps when she feels a hand between her own thighs as Ava’s hand keeps a firm grip on Sara’s head, keeping their lips together. Ava quickly gathers wetness with her fingers, then mimics Sara’s actions, slowly pushing them inside her. Sara moans into their kiss, starting to move her hips as she focuses on pushing in and out of Ava with her own fingers.

It doesn’t take long for Sara to get close — she’s gone without Ava’s touch for so long, and just tonight has been an eternity since her desire made itself known until now, when Ava’s finally touching her. Still, she tries her best to hold back, biting down on her lip as she rests her head on Ava’s shoulder and speeds up the fingers inside of her, adjusting her angle just so.

Ava clenching down on her fingers sends her teetering over the edge, moaning Ava’s name. Ava follows a second later, clenching down even harder on her fingers. Sara tries to keep them moving through it, wanting to prolong Ava’s pleasure while still not having come down from her own.

She moves her lips back to Ava’s, wanting another kiss, before she finally pulls out from her. Ava does the same, and when Sara pulls back slightly, Ava lifts her fingers to her mouth, slowly sucking them into it. The sight makes Sara groan, and the moment the fingers leave Ava’s lips, Sara’s mouth is back on hers, tasting herself on Ava’s tongue.

This time when she pulls back, Ava lets out an adorable yawn. Sara smiles lovingly down at her, kissing her one last time before rolling onto her back.

“Time for sleep,” she whispers, pulling Ava to her.

Ava groans in protest, but her body follows Sara’s, until her head is resting on Sara’s chest, one of Sara’s hands playing with her hair and the other pulled across her back.

“I love you,” Sara whispers, kissing the top of her head.

“Love you,” Ava barely gets out before she’s interrupted by another yawn. It only takes a few seconds for Ava to fall asleep, snuggled up to Sara, Sara’s hands running through her hair and up her back.

Sara, on the other hand, spends most of the night awake, too scared that if she closes her eyes, she’ll wake up with Ava gone. She is more than happy, however, to just hold Ava as she sleeps, safe and secure in Sara’s arms.

She sighs as she draws Ava’s limp form closer, wishing she could shield her from all the hurt to come once they start to properly unravel what is going on at the bureau. That, however, is for tomorrow, after Ava’s gotten one merciful night of sleep.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope y'all enjoyed reading this as much as I did writing it. It's not usually the kind of fic I write so I hope it all came out okay and that it properly filled the prompt ♥

**Author's Note:**

> As always you can find me on tumblr [@wardenroot](http://wardenroot.tumblr.com), where I'm always up for a chat and I also take prompts!


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